Landing gear doors, located on aircraft, are configured to open and close to allow for the raising and lowering of landing gear during take off and landing. To date, either independent actuators or a series of linkages or a hook that is mounted on the landing gear doors have been used to operate the opening of the landing gear doors.
When independent actuators are used they are generally mounted on the forward bulkhead of the landing gear bay and will allow the landing gear doors to be opened and closed when the nose landing gear is raised and lowered. However, the increased weight of the actuators and the associated equipment that is used can cause a problem due to the added weight and complexity of the equipment which can be unacceptable in the aircraft system. In addition, there is a general desire to move away from the use of hydraulic components within the industry.
Alternatively, a series of linkages may be used that are driven by the main fitting or drag brace. However, such use can be difficult to design and is not always available as an option for all landing gear. In addition, the use of such linkages does not always allow the landing gear doors to be closed when the landing gear is extended and therefore can significantly decrease the aerodynamics of the aircraft.
The use of a hook on the door of the landing gear bay requires very large and expensive springs to keep the door in place. In addition, the use of hooks does not generally allow the doors to be closed when the landing gear is extended which, as mentioned above, will be detrimental to the aerodynamics of the aircraft.
It is therefore desirable to provide a mechanism that allows the landing gear doors to be opened and closed without sacrificing the aerodynamics of the aircraft and without requiring the use of expensive components.